FootnotesThe shortage of official coinage in the second half of the 18th century led to the second major series of privately issued tokens, mostly copper halfpennies, in the UK, together with many contemporary imitations and forgeries of the official halfpennies. These forgeries are now generally known as 'evasions' and little is known about the clandestine makers. The First Issue halfpennies of George III are dated 1770-75 and no further copper coins were officially issued until the 'cartwheel' coins by Matthew Boulton's Soho, Birmingham mint in 1797.